An examination of the passages in Ezekiel related to the 'defilement' and 'desecration' of the Temple through the spectrum of the Priestly Sources clearly shows a distinction between the two concepts and reveals Ezekiel’s precise and deliberate usage of these terms. Although they both relate to idolatrous practices, defilement of the Temple in Ezekiel follows the categories of the Priestly Sources, and thus results primarily from corpse impurity and idol worship. With regard to the Temple’s desecration, Ezekiel introduces the aspect of the intense involvement of foreigners, which he viewed as the desecrating agents of his day.

The Defilement and Desecration of the Temple in Ezekiel 375
consequence of the peopleâ€™s sins detailed in v. 20 is the Templeâ€™s falling into
the hands of foreigners, which directly causes its desecration (30).
In chapter 44, Ezekiel again imputes the desecration of the Temple to the
presence of foreigners: â€œadmitting aliens, uncircumcised of spirit and
uncircumcised of flesh, to be in my sanctuary and profane (/lL]j'l]) my very
Templeâ€ (v. 7). Here, however, unlike in chapter 7, the foreigners are brought
by the Israelites themselves, rather than being sent by God. This invitation to
foreigners to come to the Temple prompted Godâ€™s command, â€œLet no alien,
uncircumcised in spirit and flesh, enter my sanctuary â€” no alien among the
people of Israelâ€ (v. 9). In this prophecy, it is the people of Israel â€” not God
â€” who brought the aliens to the Temple, thereby desecrating it, and God
instructs that this be avoided in the future Temple.
The prophecy regarding the impending desecration of the Temple in Ezek
24,21 does not specify the sins from which this results or how the Temple will
be desecrated (31). Similarly, in Ezek 25,3 the prophet notes the joyous reaction
of the Ammonites to the Templeâ€™s desecration, without identifying its
cause(32).
Apart from the desecration of the Temple by foreigners, Ezekiel 23 cites
yet another grievous act that desecrated the Temple: â€œNamely, when they
slaughtered their children to their idols they entered my sanctuary on that day
to desecrate it (wlljl). See, that is what they did inside my house!â€ (v. 39). The
slaughtering of children to fetishes in the Temple precincts â€” Godâ€™s house â€”
leads to its immediate desecration (33). The desecration results not only from
the introduction of foreigners, but also from the arrival of the Israelites
themselves for the purpose of slaughtering children to fetishes.
This brief consideration shows that Ezekiel distinguishes between the
(30) The subject of ynwpx ta wlljw in this verse is ambiguous: the first part of the verse,
can be understood as referring to the people of Israel, from whom God
Î¼hm ynp ta ytbshw,
turns his face after their sins desecrated the Temple, and that the aliens are the subject only
of the verseâ€™s second clause (h;wlljw Î¼yxyrp hb wabw). In any event, the actual desecration of
the Temple is effected by the foreigners who, by divine will, come to the Temple and
desecrate it by their very presence.
(31) See Rabbi David Kimhiâ€™s commentary to 24,21, in Mikraot Gedolot Haketer (ed.
M. COHEN) (Jerusalem 2000) (translation cited from AB 22, 153): â€œHence it will become
unclean, desecrated by invaders.â€ Perhaps the foreigners desecrate the Temple by their very
arrival, without any further action on their part.
(32) It is possible that the desecration results simply from the fact that the foreigners
enter the Temple, and not merely from the destruction they perpetrate there.
(33) The sins that caused the Templeâ€™s defilement and desecration are most clearly
delineated in chapter 8, which addresses the various types of idolatry witnessed by Ezekiel
in the Temple courts. It clearly emerges from the text that this idolatry, carried out in the
sacred precinct, has an adverse effect on its sanctity. This explains the emphasis on the
site of this worship ( the great abominations that the house of Israel are committing her;
hp Î¼yÃ§[ larÃ§y tyb rÃ§a twldg twb[wt), the result of which is â€œremoving themselves from my
sanctuaryâ€ (yÃ§dqm l[m hqjrl). No mention is made in this chapter of the defilement or
desecration of the Temple (its defilement takes place through Godâ€™s agents in chapter 9),
but we may infer that these acts indirectly cause the defilement of the from the consequent
departure of the divine presence: â€œNow the Majesty of the God of Israel had moved off the
cherub, on which it had been, to the threshold of the houseâ€ (9,3). The departure of the
divine presence from the Temple is what allows God to command the six people, including
the man clothed in linen, to pass through Jerusalem killing everyone they chance upon,
thereby defiling the Temple through corpse impurity (Ezek 9, 3-7).